


Where I Belong

by Deannachu



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Faerie!AU, Half-Faerie!Michael, M/M, Maybe some violence but it's not really graphic, mythological creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:25:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3577794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannachu/pseuds/Deannachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Born half-faerie, half-human, Michael "Mogar" Jones had always felt drawn to the human world, despite the warnings from his disapproving faerie Queen to never set foot in the human world unless on assignment. When the Queen banishes him from his realm, he takes up residence in a small apartment over a cafe run by Ryan Haywood. Using his glamouring ability to shield his more telling faerie features from the humans, he leads a rather normal and happy life. However, after meeting Geoff Ramsey and the idiotic, frustrating, and attractive Gavin Free, it seems that leading a normal life free of faerie influence may not be so easy anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to go ahead and make this a two-parter, though it might end up being three? Still not sure yet. Uh, thanks to [Tea (a.k.a HoodedScarlet on Ao3)](www.jigamaree.tumblr.com) for giving me this idea, she's brilliant and kicks my ass at the best of times. I'm sure that in the mythology of faeries some things I've talked about may not exactly be right, but I'm just using my creative license to make the story more interesting and I promise that the next part will be 10x more active because I haven't even gotten to the main conflict yet (hence why I said maybe 3 parts.) And I'm rambling now, so please just read, leave kudos and comments and let me know what you think!

_“Mirrors never lie.”_

Michael Jones, alone for the first time since he woke up that morning, stared into his own hanging just above the worn, splintered desk across from his bed. The mirror was oval in shape, settled in a brass base and Michael could just make out various smudges that had been missed after it had last been cleaned. The sunlight shining behind him created a brightly lit backdrop and for a moment, he thought, he caught a glimpse of his sharpened, dark brown eyes the color of fresh dirt after a rainstorm. His teeth gave hint of a sharpened point at the ends, and then just as quickly as it came, the mirror only showed normal, square-shaped teeth. The sun accented the natural reds in his curly locks and his freckles dotted his cheeks, giving him that natural boyish charm.

_“Mirrors never lie.”_

He moved away from the mirror to the window, glancing outside at the cars sputtering down the road, the people walking quickly across the streets or leisurely down the sidewalks. Across the street from his room was the biggest park in the city, trees standing guard like soldiers all around it. He could hear faint laughter from children, the enthusiastic barking from dogs as their owners tossed objects for them to retrieve, and… if he closed his eyes and focused, he could hear it.

There. Underneath the noise and the distractions that filled his senses, radiating from one particular spot deep within Mason Park, was a tinkling sound that left him with longing in his heart and a bitter taste in his mouth.

Deep within, mystifying humans for centuries and causing the disappearance of thousands of their kind, a circle of solid stones and wildflowers in colors that confused artists since Da Vinci’s time, as they were unable to recreate these vivid colors no matter how hard they tried, lay next to the park’s oldest tree. There were theories of course, as to what it may be. Realists argued that it was a natural occurrence, pulling out facts and statistics and photos. Those with a more imaginative mind, however, argued for the existence of mythical creatures called Fae, short for faeries.

Michael knew that circle. He knew that circle well. The tinkling grew louder the more he thought about it and he ran his tongue along the ends of his teeth, hissing as a particularly sharp one pricked his tongue. He turned back to the mirror, away from the window, and sharply inhaled at his appearance.

Staring back at him was a creature only ever seen in drawings, movies, and nightmares. Meeting them may seem like a dream, but all it took was one whispered word, one gaze into their sharpened, luring eyes, and you fell into a nightmare you would never escape.

_“Mirrors never lie.”_

* * *

 

Michael had always been fascinated with the human world. While his mother and many of his friends scolded him for this, wanting him to act on his fae instincts like them, there was just an attraction to this… this _chaotic_ world that he could not deny was there. Whenever he spoke of electricity or motorcycles tension would fill the room he was in, others would mutter at how his mother should have eaten him at birth instead of pleading for his life with the Queen.

Being half human living amongst full blood faeries was something he never got used to.

The way his mother told him, she had gone to the human world on one of her nightly assignments, charged with bringing back young, handsome (for a human, anyway) men. Even though faeries never held permanent romantic relationships with one another, his mother was one of the most beautiful faeries in their realm, sought after when it came time for repopulation. When she wasn’t glamourized, her hair was a beautiful, smooth, rich brown, rippling at the end just like waves when the moon was full. Her skin was smooth, porcelain, with a green tint that was easy to hide when she ventured out.  Eyes like emeralds with swirls of white around the pupil. Pointed teeth, ears, sharp nails, and a musical voice, all physical traits full blooded faeries carried.

She ventured out, glamourizing the less… subtle aspects of her appearance, and brought back one man - Michael’s father. They returned through the fairy ring and, after he tasted the delicious nectar he was offered, he was no longer allowed to leave. He was trapped forever in the realm with the frighteningly beautiful creatures he had read about in stories.

On the one night every hundred years that faeries were allowed to mate, it was said that the females would feel a pull towards the male they were destined to mate with, and unbeknownst to the rest, her partner that night was the human she had brought back from before. There was a sacred law against interrupting during this time, so while the Queen desperately wanted to put a stop to it, she was forbidden to.

Months later, Michael was born, and immediately all of the faeries could see that he would be different. His skin bore no green tint, his eyes weren’t green, but brown like his father’s, though piercing and not dull like human eyes, didn’t hold the intensity that a full blooded faerie’s would. It was as though there was a veil clouding his appearance, as his features resembled that of his mother’s, but they were hazy. The Queen was proud of all of her children, especially newborns, but she refused to hold him, instead asking his mother what she would call him.

“Mogar,” she responded, looking down at her son with worried but happy eyes. “His name will be Mogar.”

“A strong name,” the Queen replied, her back turned to where mother and son were laying. “Pity he will never live up to it.”

“With all due respect, your majesty, my son will be just as strong as me, as any of us. He still has faerie blood that runs through his veins,” she argued, mindful that her tone didn’t come across as accusing.

“ _Half_ faerie.” The Queen faced her once more and pointed at the baby clutched to her chest. “He is only half faerie; the other half is tainted by _human_ blood, something that will certainly keep him from living up to his full potential. He will always be drawn to the human world, fascinated with their primitive, savage ways.” She twisted her face in disgust.

“You don’t think what we do is savage?” his mother asked.

“We do what we do because of what we are, Gwendolina. _They_ do what they do because they _can,_ ” the Queen spat, curling her lip into a sneer. “Murdering each other, harming their women, children, giving no care at all for their own lives. We murder no-one. The men and women we take live the rest of their existence in bliss, with us.”

“As _slaves,_ or _pets,_ ” Gwendolina emphasized. “They are only in a state of bliss because of our food and drink. It is not permanent, it wears off, and once it does they see what we are and they are terrified. You can see it in their eyes.”

“But we aren’t harming them,” she reiterated. “We don’t lay a finger on them… although in your case I guess you were the one who lay more than a finger on _him._ ” Gwendolina jerked back as though she had been slapped. In a way, she supposed, she had. The Queen crossed to the doorway. “Both of you are forbidden from travelling to the human world. You and… that mistake.”

“But I’m the best at bringing back the men!” Her voiced raised and she noticed Mogar stirring, having been woken by the noise. “Without me, you wouldn’t have half of your servants!”

The Queen left the room, the door shutting behind her. Mogar opened his eyes and stared at his mother, cooing happily as he looked into her shining eyes. He reached up and grabbed a small lock of her hair, tugging gently. “You are not a mistake,” she whispered gently, kissing his forehead. “You’re perfect, and you’re mine.”

* * *

 

A knock on his door brought him out of his stupor and away from the mirror. He crossed the room and opened it, finding his boss on the other side.

“So were you going to work today or am I going to have to serve all of these fuckers by myself?” Ryan Haywood asked, a smirk on his face. Ryan owned the cafe that Michael was staying above. It had been chance, really, that he had found this place. After being kicked out by the Queen, told scathingly that if he wanted to visit the human world so much he may as well live there, Michael had wandered around town until the sun was rising over the horizon, filling the sky with deep reds and yellows. He stumbled across a tall building with the sign “Haywood Cafe” across the top and noticed the “help wanted” sign in the window. He walked in and was greeted by a sleepy Ryan Haywood behind the counter. After inquiring about the help wanted sign, the two chatted and suddenly he had a job. After mentioning that he currently had no place to stay - “mom kicked me out” - Ryan offered the one bedroom place above the cafe for him to use.

Ryan had shown him how to use the cash register, how to fix coffee, and how to bus the tables and wash the dishes. The cafe only became busy around lunch time and early evening, so Michael usually only had two or three customers to wait on. There was a few times where he waited on faeries, but thankfully he used the small amount of glamour he had to make himself unrecognizable to them. He wanted to stop them from leaving with unsuspecting, young college students, but that wasn’t his home anymore.

So he would quietly avert his gaze and finish wiping down tables, clearing away dishes, and mopping up spilled coffee and tea. He could feel the invisible waves rolling off of them, concealing their true form and knew that those women and men were goners. They would disappear, and no one would ever even notice, not even their families. It was as though they had never existed.

Once, one of his friends had entered the cafe, no doubt having heard that it was the prime place to pick up humans to bring back to their Queen. Michael had his back turned but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he was alerted to the faerie presence. Faeries always smelled earthy, as though they had been neck-deep in fresh soil all day, and when the scent of dirt overpowered the fresh pot of coffee Ryan was brewing, Michael knew. He turned subtly to greet the newcomer, but the words never left his lips as he saw who it was.

“Mogar?” the faerie asked incredulously, a grin on his face. Michael knew Ryan was listening so he shook his head slowly in an attempt to get the faerie to shut the fuck up.

“The name’s Michael,” he responded in a tone that said _now is not the time or place, shut the fuck up, man._

“Oh, right. _Michael,_ ” he snickered. He walked over to him and stood, watching as Michael placed dirty dishes in a bin. The man lowered his voice. “I thought they were joking when they said the Queen banished you.”

“Faeries can’t lie, dumbass,” Michael hissed. “So no, obviously they weren’t joking. What are you doing here, Crion?”

Crion held up his hands. “No need for the hostility. You know why I’m here.” His forest green eyes flashed momentarily through his glamour before returning back to their dull state. He picked up a half-empty cup of coffee and sniffed, jerking back with disgust. “How can you stand human food, man? It smells horrid.”

“Being half human has its advantages,” Michael said sarcastically, snatching the cup away and placing it in the bin. “Go somewhere else, Crion. I couldn’t say anything about the faeries that came in here a few days ago but I can sure as hell say something to you. The people in here are off limits to you.”

His eyes flashed, the dull green sharpening quickly into a cold, frostbitten green as Michael’s words registered with him. The smirk present on his face turned into a sneer and his hand, now clawed, grabbed Michael’s arm as he turned away. “I came in here for one purpose, and that wasn’t to be told what to do by you, a stupid half-human. Now I suggest you walk away and leave me be, _Mogar,_ before something happens to you. Got it?”

Michael swallowed nervously but wasn’t about to back down. This was a childhood friend; they had played together since they were small, they knew each other like the backs of their hands. “Crion…”

“Hey, asshole,” a voice shouted from behind him. Crion turned and gunfire exploded in the store, sending its few customers running for cover. Michael dropped the bin and ran behind the counter where Ryan was hiding. Ryan, however, didn’t look panicked like Michael thought he should. He looked… annoyed.

The noise stopped and a silence filled the shop. Michael peeked out from behind the counter, noticing a man with sleeve tattoos, black hair and a mustache that curled on both ends standing over Crion’s body. He stared down at him with disgust, giving his leg a swift kick before stepping over it and to the counter. Ryan had stood up again at this point and rolled his eyes at the man.

“You know how I feel about you killing these things in my cafe, Geoff,” he drawled. “Couldn’t you have at least lured it outside?” Geoff snickered at Ryan, unfazed.

“Hey, if we want to make a statement to these bastards, to let them know that we are protecting our own people, might as well make a public execution, eh?” Geoff laughed. He turned around at the sound of the door opening. “Besides, Gavin spilled something in the car, otherwise I would have used him for bait like I always do.”

“Oi, it’s not my fault that you left a half empty red bull can in the cup holder, you mong,” an accented voice squawked. “You handled yourself well, anyway; you didn’t need me.” Ryan finally noticed that Michael was still hidden and he tugged on the back of his shirt.

“Stand up, Michael. It’s just Geoff and Gavin, they’re not going to hurt you,” Ryan smiled encouragingly. Michael stood shakily, his eyes still focused on Crion’s dead body. The empty shells were scattered all on the floor, glinting silver with the sunlight and the light fixtures above. _Steel bullets,_ Michael thought. _The deadliest metal to faeries. Son of a bitch._

“Was that _thing_ trying to lure you?” asked Geoff, walking over to Michael. He saw Geoff search his eyes, looking for any signs of a trance still lingering. Of course there wouldn’t be, but he didn’t need Geoff to know that.

“Y… yeah, yeah he was,” Michael stuttered, playing innocent. “What was that thing anyway?”

“That,” Geoff said, replacing the gun into the holster strapped to the waistband of his jeans, “was a faerie, a creature so cunning that all it takes is one look into their eyes and you fucking disappear, never to be heard from again.”

“The worst part is, you disappear and it’s like you never existed in the first place. No one remembers who you are,” Gavin added, glancing at Crion. “It’s some dark magic they use, stealing humans to use for god knows what purpose.” He glanced back at Michael. “You’ve never heard of them?”

 _Only every fucking day of my entire existence._ Michael opened his mouth to reply that he had only read about them in storybooks, that his mother would tell him tales involving these creatures to get him to behave when he was young, but there was a burning suddenly at the back of his throat as he began to speak. He coughed violently as the burning seared all the way to his tongue.

_“You’re half human, Mogar, and that part of you allows you to lie sometimes,” his mother explained as she reprimanded him for playing too roughly with some of his friends, injuring Crion in the process. When he was confronted about it, the lie rolled off his tongue so easily as he pointed his finger at another friend, fearful of getting into trouble. All of the faeries in range exchanged shocked glances. “But you must strive to be truthful every waking moment of the day, son.”_

_“Why, mother?” he asked, his voice a rough tinkling to his own ears. She smiled sorrowfully._

_“You could get into a lot of trouble, and I want to protect you.” She pulled him into a hug. “Promise me you will never lie.”_

_“I promise, mother,” he responded into her ear, the scent of leaves and sap filling his nostrils._

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them,” he answered truthfully, but stopped there. The burning sensation lingered, but the pain faded away. “Never seen one in person, though.” He braced for the burning but it didn’t return. _I’m really fucking tired of this faerie truth bullshit picking and choosing when it wants to fucking scald my vocal chords._

Geoff walked over and lifted up Crion’s eye lids. His eyes were still the color of frost on grass. “They have green eyes - every shade you can think of, and maybe more that you can’t. They’re very attractive and use what they call ‘glamour’ to blend in with humans. It changes their appearance to hide their sharp teeth, hypnotic eyes and green-tinted skin. They lure humans back to their realm, though like Gavin said, we don’t know what they do with them. Experiment, eat, torture. Every possibility has been theorized, but nothing’s been proven. If they die in nature - in a park, forest, anywhere with grass and trees, basically - they become part of the earth. They grow into a tree, flower, something natural. If they don’t,” Geoff took out a lighter, “they stay like this unless you burn the son of a bitch.”

“Geoff, not in my shop,” Ryan deadpanned. “Here, I’ll help you carry it out to the truck and then you may dispose of it wherever you please.”

“It was _one_ little fire,” Geoff muttered, grabbing the legs while Ryan carried the head and shoulders.

“Yeah, and that “one little fire” nearly burned down my house,” Ryan retorted, rolling his eyes. “We’ll be back in a minute, Michael. Gavin, be nice to him, he’s my best worker.”

“I’m your _only_ worker, Ryan,” Michael joked. “Mostly because you’re too cheap to hire anybody else.”

“Well I can count on you to come into work when you’re supposed to!”

“Because I live fucking right above the cafe!” He lifted his hands to the ceiling. “It’s not like I can climb out the window and hang on the ledge whenever you come upstairs to make sure I’m awake.”

Ryan opened his mouth to fire off a retort but Geoff’s struggling grunts caused him to momentarily forget Michael’s cheek and the two men exited the cafe. Michael flipped Ryan off when he wasn’t looking before turning towards the mess Geoff made. “Just great, now I have to clean this shit up,” he muttered, beginning to pick up chairs and dishes that fell to the ground with the spewing of bullets. The invisible current that ran over his skin, glamourizing the few faerie aspects of his appearance, no matter how small, could still be felt if Michael really concentrated, and he sighed with relief. Seeing as he just witnessed his childhood friend’s murder right in front of him, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down one bit unless he wanted to go next.

He almost forgot Gavin was still in the room until another hand reached for the broken coffee mug by his foot. “Here you go, mate. Thought I ought to help since, you know, it’s our fault you have so much to clean up,” he laughed sheepishly.

“Thanks,” Michael said, looking up and into the face belonging to the hand. Blue eyes - no, green, no… dark blue eyes with flecks of green woven in them - met his own deep brown ones. For a moment, Michael was mesmerized by them, as though Gavin held him in a trance. He shook his head and took the cup, throwing it in the bin on the floor and hurrying off to the back. Once he was safely out of Gavin’s sight he let out a breath and slammed the bin on the counter. The image of Gavin’s eyes danced in his head and Michael could only marvel at how appealing they were to look at, how the accented voice played like music to his ears, sweeter than anything he ever heard in his realm.

_I am so fucked._

* * *

 

Michael hid in the back of the cafe until after Geoff and Gavin had left, shouting a well worn excuse of not feeling well, but it was nice to meet them too. Everything was overwhelming: Crion’s murder, Gavin’s looks, Geoff’s silver bullets, Ryan’s nonchalant attitude of faeries being slaughtered right in front of him. His nerves and anxiety made it difficult to focus on the simple, mundane task of washing dishes and tossing broken ones in the trash, let alone keep up his glamour properly. When Ryan entered the back, signaling that he had closed shop for the day - “I think customers can wait for their caffeine fix until tomorrow” - Michael clutched his stomach, looking at the floor so Ryan couldn’t see that his eyes were different and his teeth were sharper than normal, muttered something about “bad lunch,” even though he had barely eaten anything all day, and fled to the safety of his bedroom.

He had so many questions as he slammed his door shut, standing once again in front of the mirror. How did Ryan know that Crion was a faerie when his back was turned the entire time? How convenient was it that Geoff showed up _at just the right moment_? “Breathe, Michael, breathe,” he gasped, shaking hands clutching the worn wooden desk. A prick to his finger caused him to jerk his hand away, hissing in pain. A splinter was lodged in his finger. It was funny, really, that the thing that faeries lived around could cause him so much pain. He stared at his reflection as he dug out the splinter.

He would never really fit in any world or realm, even if he wanted to. He knew that. He had to keep up a constant facade in the human world or risk entering through the faerie ring and facing the wrath of the Queen. She had the capability to do horrible things to him, he knew, and he was fucking terrified. He clenched his hands into fists. His own mother didn’t speak up on his behalf when he was banished. Although he knew her reasoning, it still stung. She fought for his birth, fought for his life, but she wouldn’t fight for him to stay.

“Maybe she was just protecting you,” he muttered to his mirror self. “She thought you would have an easier life here. It doesn’t take much to pass for human.” His reflection blinked, eyes flickering like the sharpening feature on a photo was being toggled. Dull brown, damp earth brown, dull brown, damp earth brown. Sharp teeth, square teeth.

_Mirrors never lie._

* * *

 

That was five months ago.

Not many things have changed, really. He still worked for Ryan, though thankfully he didn’t witness any faerie killings (first hand, anyway.) Ryan finally told him how Geoff had arrived so quickly to the shop; apparently he was texting the man while his back was turned. He noticed Crion walk up to him and thought he was trying to lure him. Though Ryan did what he did to protect Michael, he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter towards the man. After all, Crion was his friend.

Still, Michael was just glad to be alive. There had been an almost slip up a few weeks ago. He and Ryan had gone out for drinks after work and met up with Geoff, Gavin, and their friends Jack and Ray. Well, the others drank, but Ray just nursed his Dr. Pepper while his friends consumed shots and mixed drinks, laughing constantly over stories and inside jokes that Michael wasn’t aware of. He didn’t feel left out though, as Jack would make sure to explain stories and people enough that Michael had some clue as to what was going on.

Ray had innocently asked Michael about the faerie incident those five months ago, which he had tried to push to the back of his mind but the alcohol seemed to bring forward those memories with a vengeance. “It was pretty scary, actually,” Michael admitted, nursing his third - or was it fourth? - drink, refusing yet another shot that Gavin offered him. Though he was repulsed at the taste alcohol left in his mouth - he had the sneaking suspicion that even if he was fully human he wouldn’t really enjoy the taste - he enjoyed the brief escape it gave him and learned what his limit was early on. He was feeling a slight buzz, he had already taken off his jacket earlier when his cheeks felt flushed and the temperature in the bar raised a few degrees.

He felt the presence of quite a few Fae in the bar, though the alcohol was clouding his senses so he couldn’t exactly pinpoint the difference between a human and a faerie who had been shrouded in glamour. He felt good, loose, happy. It was only when Ray asked if something was wrong with his eyes that he realized he could no longer feel that invisible current running over his skin. He touched his tongue to his teeth and pulled it back, feeling the all too familiar point. He excused himself and ran outside, leaving his drink on the table and pushing himself through groups of people who were standing near the entrance.

The brisk night air hit him in the face, awaking his senses and defogging his brain almost immediately. He still felt drunk, but his mind was starting to clear like the sun peeking through the clouds after a big storm. He was able to grasp his glamouring ability and throw it back on, feeling the comforting current once more. The door flew open and Gavin appeared, looking at Michael doubled over on the sidewalk.

“Are you okay, Michael? You ran out awfully fast. Did you get sick?” the Brit asked, concerned. He walked over to him and rubbed his back. Michael _was_ sick, but not from the alcohol. How had he been so _stupid?_ He knew better than to let his guard down, especially whenever he went out drinking. He thought he had been carefully calculating how much he had to drink, knowing after a certain point when to stop, wanting to avoid a scene like this. He had just been having so much damn _fun_ that he hadn’t realized until he was almost caught.

“I’m fine, Gav, thanks,” he managed weakly, taking in deep gulps of the cool air before he trusted himself to speak more. “Just… drank more than I thought. It sure becomes a blur when you’re having fun, you know?” Gavin chuckled softly and pulled Michael over to a small table outside of the bar. The two sat down, Gavin still eyeing Michael as though he may puke any moment. Gavin _hated_ watching somebody throw up, well he hated anything wet and mushy that shouldn’t be really. Michael found this out when Gavin had challenged him to a competition of who could consume the most donuts in five minutes (Michael won.)

Aside from the streetlights and the neon signs from the buildings around them, the sky was beautiful and clear, stars peppering the black background. His mom loved the stars, almost all faeries did. Clear skies, full moons, all of it made them feel more at peace. Michael was so busy staring at the sky that he didn’t even register that Gavin had spoken. “I’m sorry, I zoned out. What’s up?”

“I said,” Gavin laughed, “I’m glad I met you.” Michael’s heart fluttered. _Stop that,_ he mentally scolded himself. “I mean don’t get me wrong, Geoff’s an amazing person and I’m glad I have him - and the others - around, but you’re… different. In a good way,” he rushed to reassure Michael when he gave him a weird look.

“I’m just any other person,” he responded, seemingly unaffected by Gavin’s heartfelt admission. “I work, I live in an apartment, I go out and have fun just like any of you. Although, I don’t go around killing things, but three out of four things isn’t bad.”

“You know what I mean, you donut. We just get along really well. Usually people have already told me to bugger off by now because, in case you weren’t aware, I can be an annoying piece of shit sometimes,” Gavin joked, causing Michael to grin.

“Oh I know,” Michael teased. “I’m just used to you, I guess. I mean don’t get me wrong, you _do_ annoy the living hell out of me, but I give it right back to you, so we’re even.” The two were silent for a few minutes, listening to the laughter of drunken people leaving the bar, cars as they roared down the narrow streets, the faint echo of the bass-heavy music from inside.

“Geoff and I were going to ask you tomorrow, but I figure now’s a good time as any. Geoff has a spare bedroom in his house and it’s been empty for a while. We were going to ask you if you’d like to move in?” Gavin spoke this to his hands, not wanting to look Michael in the eye. Was he _nervous?_ “I mean you don’t have to, I know you’ve got your space above Ryan’s cafe, which is fine, but we thought you might want more space, an actual house to live in, and you’d be living with me and we could hang out more and play video games and-”

“Gavin shut the fuck up,” Michael said, reaching over to slap a chilly hand over the Brit’s mouth. “Yes, I’d love to move in with you guys.” Gavin’s eyes lit up like fireworks and his grin overtook most of his face, it was almost comical to look at.

“You will?” he shrieked, moving from his seat to dive into Michael’s lap and immediately falling on the ground as Michael moved out of the way at the last second. “ _Micoo!”_

“ _Micoo!”_ a voice taunted as the other four exited the bar just in time to see Gavin’s acrobatic display. Geoff giggled at Gavin’s pouting face as he lay on the ground. “I see you asked him already, even though I fucking told you to wait.”

Gavin grinned up at the older man. “Alcohol makes me do weird things, Geoff. You should know this by now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh you mean the time I came home from the grocery store to find you dancing naked with your cat in the living room?” Michael bit his lip to keep a bark of laughter from escaping him. “Or the time I caught you watching _Titanic_ and you bawled like a fucking baby?” _Don’t laugh, Michael, don’t laugh Michael, don’t…_

“What about the time you and Geoff were tracking a faerie and it happened to come in the cafe - this was before you were hired, Michael - and Gavin was fucking drunk off his ass and the thing was so confused because it seemed like _you_ were trying to lure _it_ instead of the other way around?” Ryan added, pointing at Gavin who had turned the brightest shade of red Michael had ever seen.

“What about-”

“GUYS!” Ray shouted amidst the squabbling men. Each murmured an apology while Geoff just rolled his eyes.

“We’ll come by and get your stuff tomorrow, Michael. I need to take drunk boy here home,” Geoff told Michael, picking Gavin up off the ground and pulling him towards their car.

“See you tomorrow!” Gavin called to Michael, waving like an excited child who just met their hero. Jack and Ray left with their goodbyes leaving just Ryan and Michael at the bar.

“You ready to go?” Ryan asked, spinning his keys on his finger. Michael opened his mouth to respond when he caught a flash of red in his peripheral. He turned his head sharply, the scent of earth filling his nostrils, and caught sight of a woman - at least he thought it was a woman - walking quickly in the direction of Mason park where his former home was located. “Michael?”

Michael shook his head and looked at Ryan, who was staring at him quizzically. He waved him towards the car. “You go ahead, I’ll be right behind you. I think I’ll walk home, you know. Fresh air and all that.”

Ryan just stared. “Are you still drunk?” Michael rolled his eyes, but said nothing. His mind became clear after his and Gavin’s discussion and after seeing the mysteriously familiar red head.

“I’m fine, just go. I won’t be long,” he reassured the man, giving him a genuine smile. Ryan held his gaze for a moment longer before shrugging and walking towards their car.

“Hurry up,” he called over his shoulder. “If you’re not back in twenty minutes I’m sending Geoff after you.” _Meaning if I’m not back in twenty minutes his initial thought is that I got lured by faeries._

Michael began his trek across the street, walking the familiar path to the iron gates that stood along the perimeter of the park and admiring the towering trees that stood guarding its precious secrets inside. The gates had long since held the story that once you were inside the park, they would protect all inside from any faeries attempting to penetrate the gates.

It was only recently that those stories were proven false, and it only took the disappearance of nearly three hundred humans to prove it. The iron gates were rusty, and a jagged sign reading _Mason Park_ connected to either side of the entrance, proclaiming proudly for everyone to see. Streetlights gave minimal light inside but the moon shone proudly, giving those lingering inside enough light to find their way out. Drunken couples, homeless, and shady characters all called Mason Park home at one point or another.

Once inside, Michael felt the familiar tug deep within and heard the seductive tinkling that only faeries could hear when close to their home. He ignored it, catching a flash of red up ahead and quickening his pace. A low humming filled the air. It gradually became louder as Michael got closer to the woman; he stopped abruptly when she was a few feet ahead of him, standing by the fairy circle. Her skin held a green tint, her nails were sharp and her hair glowed like fire.

“I know you followed me,” the woman spoke, her voice as sharp as her nails. _Wait a minute…_ “You weren’t even supposed to see me.” _I know that voice…_

“Lillie?”

The redheaded fae turned, her eyes shining like emeralds in sunlight, and smiled at Michael with closed lips. Michael always loved her fiery hair, knowing that it was rare for any faerie to be born with a hair color other than a variation of brown. He never knew exactly what caused her hair to be that color, but he had a few theories.  “I go by Lindsay in this world, but yes, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here? Are you on assignment?” he asked one of his oldest friends. Lindsay and Michael had been friends ever since they were younger. She was his friend before even Crion was. Their mothers were good friends and it was only fitting that their children should be, too. Michael remembered hearing his mother talk to Lindsay’s about how, when it came time to mate, that she would be thrilled if Lindsay chose him.

She sighed and walking towards Michael, stopping just shy in front of him. He always thought she was beautiful, even for a faerie. “Yes and no,” she responded. “Your mother sent me.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “She wanted me to check up on you, and when the Queen sent me out I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”

“Does she even miss me at all?” Michael finally inquired, eyes lingering on the faerie circle yards from where they were standing. Lindsay’s eyes softened as she placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder, squeezing it sympathetically.

“Of course she does,” she said softly. “But you know no one can argue with the Queen, no matter how much she loves you.”

“Lindsay I got _banished_ from the only home I had ever known all because I’m _half human,_ something I can’t even control!” Michael raised his voice, startling the fae in front of him. “And when I was summoned in front of the entire court, in front of our Queen, and she told me I was banished? My mother did _nothing._ She _stood there_ and let the Queen insult me and tell me how inferior I was compared to all of you because I have human blood in my veins.”

“Mogar-”

“No! No, don’t ‘Mogar’ me! You lost the right to call me that when I got banished and none of you did a damn thing. Here, I’m Michael,” he seethed.

“Michael, do you think we stood around and did nothing because we _wanted to?”_ Lindsay shouted in frustration, her claws digging into Michael’s shoulder. He flinched at the sharp pain but didn’t look away. “If we had stood up for you, we would _all_ have been dealt a worse punishment than what she gave you. We would have been tried for treason and _killed._ ”

Michael knew what the Queen was capable of, the whole realm knew. If you stood up against the Queen she would see it as treason and would sentence you to be executed. No questions asked. Her definition of a “fair trial” was asking if you thought her decision was wrong and, being a faerie, you could only tell the truth, so once you said yes there really was no other evidence needed.

Lindsay continued, “Would you have wanted that? Huh? Instead of banishment you, along with me, your mother, would be dead. You’re lucky, Michael. Obviously you weren’t meant to live with full blooded faeries, so you have a chance in this world, with the humans. And it seems you’re getting along pretty nicely too. I saw you back there with those men; you looked happy.”

“Crion’s dead,” Michael spat, causing Lindsay to shrink back in shock. “One of those men you saw me with killed him right in front of me because they thought they were protecting me. That’s what they do to fae in this world. So no, I’m not _lucky_ just because I was banished. Either world I live in, I run the risk of being killed. Yeah, here the chance isn’t as high because I can glamour myself, but what happens when I get too drunk? Or in a moment of panic I lower it? What then?”

Lindsay said nothing, her mouth still open in shock. He sneered at the ring nearby and thought briefly of torching it, but simply setting it on fire wouldn’t work. It was protected by magic. “Michael…”

“No, just… just go home, Lindsay,” he finally said, looking her once more in the eyes. “Tell my mother that if she wants to know how I’m doing then she can bring her happy ass up here and visit me personally.”

“She can’t,” Lindsay replied, her voice hardening slightly. “The Queen no longer allows her on Earth, remember? Or are you so caught up in your ‘woe is me’ situation that you forgot? She _wants_ to see you, but she’s forbidden from doing anything about it.”

“Where’s your human?” Michael asked, changing the subject. He glanced around but saw no sign of any lured human near her. “I thought you were on assignment.”

“I am, I mean I was,” she said cautiously. Michael narrowed his eyes.

“What aren’t you telling me, Lindsay?”

There was a pause as bit her lip before sighing. “She sent me.”

What? “Who’s ‘she’? Cut the cryptic bullshit,” Michael snapped.

“Your mother wanted me to check on you, Michael, but the real reason I’m here is because the Queen sent me.”

“What does she want with me? I thought she wouldn’t bother me anymore once she got rid of me,” Michael sneered.

“She…” Lindsay looked away from Michael before continuing, “she’s taken an interest to one of your friends, and once I return and give her my report she’s going to make the decision of whether or not she wants him.”  Michael’s heart dropped to the floor. _Son of a bitch._

“Which one?” he barked after a silence. _Let her try and send one of her fucking servants to go after one of my friends, let her fucking try._

“The one that tried to jump in your lap,” Lindsay replied. _Oh no._ “She’s had fae trailing you for a while now. She wants to make sure you don’t betray them and cause someone to discover our realm and try and destroy it or something. If you ask me, she’s a little paranoid but whatever.”

Michael was pissed off. “Tell Queen Bitch that Gavin is off limits. All of them are. You and everyone else are to leave them alone. I mean it. I wasn’t wanted back home so this world is my home now, the half faerie side of me be damned. I can’t stop you from doing this to people I don’t care about, but if any of them lay a finger on my friends I will personally put a steel bullet through their brains.”

He turned to walk away when Lindsay grabbed his shoulder and spun him around quickly. Her features were no longer those of his caring friend, but that of a monster only seen in nightmares. “You can’t hide what you are forever,” she said quietly, making the situation even more horrifying than what it was. “They’re going to find out eventually, and then what? Your friends will hate you. You won’t be welcome back home. You’ll have _no one._ Then we’ll see whose brain that bullet gets put through.”

He had a list of things he wanted to say to her, a list of ways he wanted to make her suffer for saying those things to him, but he refrained. Instead he removed her hand from his shoulder and walked away, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket as he did so. He knew it was Ryan telling him his time was up and wondering where the hell he was. As he walked away and began dialing Ryan’s number he felt a breeze and heard the tinkling once more. He stopped and turned towards the spot he and Lindsay had been standing just seconds ago.

She was gone, and according to the text Ryan just sent, he was going to get his ass kicked when he got back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... maybe this will be three parts after all. The first half of this is basically filler, but I make up for it near the end. ;D

Since then, Michael had been unusually overprotective of Gavin, insisting that he keep in constant contact with him any time he left the house, even if it was to go for a walk. It was easier to keep an eye on him now that they lived under the same roof, but still Gavin was known for being clumsy and needing some help from time to time so Michael happily obliged.

Moving day for Michael was chaotic but exciting even though he only had a few actual possessions to move into his new bedroom in Geoff’s quaint two story home. He was careful to keep hidden any trinkets he brought from his realm, including a necklace his mom had given him when he was younger that allowed him to harness his abilities even better than he already could. She thought if he could tap into its power and grasp his faerie side that he would just give in and drown out the human side that liked to make untimely appearances.

Of course that didn’t work.

Michael walked down the stairs and outside to the car that was waiting for him outside. Geoff was leaning against the driver’s side talking to Ryan while Gavin was in the passenger side bouncing excitedly like a small child.

“It’s about time,” Geoff said when he saw Michael walking towards him. “What were you doing up there? Masturbating for the last time?” Michael rolled his eyes and flicked him off.

“I was just making sure I didn’t forget anything,” he responded, opening the back door to the car. “I’m going to be bothering Ryan enough at work, I don’t think he wants me running in and out of the upstairs just because my brain can’t get its shit together and make sure I have all of my possessions.”

Gavin turned around as Michael slid inside and shut the door. The man couldn’t stop smiling which caused Michael to feel a blush spreading on his cheeks. “Hi Michael!” _Micoo._

“Hi Gavin.”

“So are you excited to be living with us now?” asked the British man whose smile took up the majority of his face. Michael grinned at his enthusiasm.

“It beats living alone,” he replied nonchalantly. “Although I think I’ll have to get used to having you and Geoff around more. Just make sure you knock before you enter my room, dick head.

Gavin scoffed, seemingly offended. “You act like I was raised in a barn, you pleb. Of course I’ll knock.”

Geoff got in the car just then after saying goodbye to Ryan. “What’s this about knocking? Because if it’s about knocking some sense into Gavin’s tiny brain then I’m all for it, Michael,” the older man joked, starting the car and leaving the parking lot. Gavin squawked in response but no actual words spilled out of his mouth.

“I told him that it was going to take a while for me to get used to living with other people and told him that he had better knock before he enters my room,” Michael explained. “Ryan knocked all the time before coming in my room, I’m just used to it.”

“We weren’t raised in a barn, Michael,” Geoff laughed.

“That’s what I said!” Gavin added. “And I only did that _once,_ when I walked in on you and Griff-” Gavin slapped a hand over his mouth as Geoff’s hands tightened considerably on the wheel, turning his knuckles white.

“You and who?” Michael asked, confused. Silence. _Maybe I should just drop it, Geoff looks like he’s about to crash the car into a tree any second._

“Sorry, Geoff,” Gavin said quietly, shrinking into his seat and avoiding eye contact with the man. His knuckles were white the entire drive to his home and when they had parked in the driveway he got out, unlocked the front door, and roughly slammed it shut behind him when he went inside. Michael and Gavin flinched at the noise, taking the few bags and boxes Michael had out of the trunk.

“What’s wrong with Geoff?” Michael lowered his voice, hefting a bag over his shoulder and carrying a box in his arms. Gavin sighed and looked at the door before responding.

“There’s a reason he knows so much about faeries and why he goes around killing them,” Gavin finally answered. “If you’ve noticed, no one else really outwardly tries to kill them, mostly because they are blissfully unaware that they exist or they don’t remember when the faeries have done something bad to them.”

Michael did find it odd that Geoff and the others were really the only people he’s seen try and kill faeries but he never questioned it. He didn’t want to do anything that would draw attention to himself.

“A year ago, Geoff lived with his wife Griffon in this house. They had been married for three years and they were talking about having kids one day. They were… very happy, at least the happiest and most in love couple I had ever seen,” Gavin explained fondly, smiling briefly with closed lips. “She was the perfect match for him. She could match his wit and sass, and she was talented as hell. She made carvings using a chainsaw, if you can believe it.”

“A chainsaw?” Michael asked. Gavin nodded.

“Yeah, a _chainsaw._ She was beautiful and Geoff would look at her as though she were the only woman he needed in his life.” His smile faded and he reached into the trunk to grab the last bag, slamming the trunk shut. “I guess she was.”

“What happened?”

“I’m going to let Geoff tell you because it’s not my place,” Gavin responded, turning on his heel and walking inside the house. Michael followed behind him, his mind still on the fact that Geoff had a wife. Geoff was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, a glass in front of him that he kept refilling with whiskey. Gavin reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, setting it next to the whiskey bottle on the counter. He squeezed Geoff's shoulder before motioning to Michael to pick up his boxes and follow him down a hallway.

Michael followed him into a decent sized bedroom at the end of the hall, across from what looked to be a bathroom. A bare full sized bed, a dresser, and a desk sat in the otherwise empty room. "This was going to be their child's room," Gavin explained softly.

"His wife was pregnant?" asked Michael, stunned. Gavin shook his head.

"They were talking about it a lot, and had decided to start trying, when..." Gavin pauses, not wanting to go any further. After all, it wasn't his place to tell Geoff's story.  

"When what?"

Footsteps sounded behind the two and Geoff appeared, nursing an almost empty glass of whiskey in his left hand. "When my wife was lured away by faeries," he revealed bitterly. He pushed past the men and sat down on the mattress, emptying the glass. "It was in the summer. Griffon wanted to go swimming, and it was hot, so I said yes. We were going to go over to Ryan's house, but we stopped along the way to pick up pizza and drinks. She had run inside the liquor store and said she would be just a couple of minutes." He stopped. The look of anguish on the man's face made Michael's heart ache with sympathy.

Gavin set down the box he was still holding and sat next to Geoff, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder until he could continue.

"I looked at my phone for two minutes. _Two. Minutes._ I heard this weird humming noise, and I looked up, and my wife was halfway across the street to Mason Park following this... this _thing._ I sprinted out of the car, not even caring that the keys were still in the ignition, and followed them across the road and deep into that park. I caught up to them by the fairy ring and when I called her name, she... she didn't even _look at me._ She looked at that thing like it was the only thing in the world she wanted to look at." His put his face in his hands and sighed, his body shaking slightly with grief.

“This happened about a year before we met, so a couple of years ago for you,” Gavin said. “He used to be a lot worse; he would drink _so much_ that he would pass out for hours on end and then wake up and do it all over again. Ryan finally shook some sense into him and that’s when he started reading up on them, learning ways to kill them.”

“I’m going to kill the bastard that took my wife, and the more I bring down with me the better I’ll feel,” Geoff spat suddenly, a look of cold fury in his eyes. He stood up and took a deep breath, returning a smile to his face. He wrapped an arm around Michael’s shoulders and squeezed. “Enough of that, once you’re all settled in we’ll go out for dinner, yeah?” Michael nodded, though frozen with fear at Geoff’s words, and Geoff exited the room, leaving Gavin and Michael alone.

“So,” Gavin said after a moment of silence. He picked up the box he was holding and set it on the bed, opening the flaps and taking out some clothes folded up inside. Michael, shaking out of his stupor, unpacked the box in front of him, pulling out a few faerie trinkets he was careful not to let Gavin see. “Tell me about your family.” Michael froze, a pendant in his hand. An emerald sat nestled in gold, vines wrapping around it protectively. It was supposed to help his powers strengthen, and though it did help some, ultimately it was just another pretty piece of jewelry that would sit in his closet to gather dust.

“There’s nothing to tell,” he finally responded, carefully tossing the trinkets and the pendant back inside the box before taking it to the closet and sticking it on the shelf.

Gavin looked up from the clothes he was putting into hangers and stared quizzically at Michael. “Did something happen with them?”

“Yeah, kind of,” he answered truthfully. He really didn’t want to have this conversation with Gavin, because what if he was forced to tell the truth about what he really is? There would be steel bullets in him faster than he could say “faerie.”

“Okay then,” Gavin responded, sending him a small smile that made his stomach do flips an acrobat would be jealous of. “I won’t pry.” Michael nodded and helped Gavin finish hanging up his clothes and putting them away in drawers.

“Are you assholes done yet?” Geoff yelled down the hallway, a grin in his voice. “I didn’t think it would take you that long to unpack, are you guys making out or something?” Gavin’s face flushed scarlet, and Michael felt his own face flare up from Geoff’s accusation.

“N-no!” Michael yelled back. “Fuck you, Geoff!” Geoff’s cackling laughter traveled into the room, embarrassing the two even more than they already were. Gavin scratched the back of his head shyly and turned to leave, looking at Michael once more.

“I guess I’ll go wash up and get ready, just meet us in the living room when you’re done,” he told Michael, who nodded and smiled at him before he exited. Gavin shut the door, leaving Michael alone. The bed was still bare, and the few posters or decorative items he did have weren’t up yet. He flattened the empty boxes and left the others on his bed to unpack when they got back, his stomach had begun to make noises and he realized he was starving.

_I do not like Gavin,_ he told himself as he made his way to the bathroom. He shut the door and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face. His cheeks still held a red tint to them and he looked about as normal as any other human, still. Lindsay’s words echoed in his mind. “ _She’s taken an interest in one of your friends… the one that tried jumping in your lap._ ”

_It’s absurd, Gavin and I are just friends,_ he mentally scoffed, patting his face dry with a towel. _His accent is stupid, his face is stupid, his nose is too long, he weighs like thirty pounds, he’s human, for God’s sake._

_“You can’t hide what you are forever. They’re going to find out eventually, and then what? Your friends will hate you. You won’t be welcome back home. You’ll have_ no one.”

He glanced in the mirror again, allowing himself to lower his glamour, revealing a less ordinary looking human in the reflection. The Queen’s words that haunted him since he was banished continued to echo in his mind. _Mirrors never lie._ The mirrors in the realm revealed a faerie’s true form, no matter if the glamour was in use or not. Faeries liked the mirrors because no matter what facade someone tried to put on, they believed it would always reveal their true self.

_“You can glamour yourself all you want, Mogar,” the Queen said scathingly, eyes flitting about watching as he packed the few things he was allowed to bring with him. His mother stood off to the Queen’s side, head bowed as she was unable to speak up for her son. “Although the mirrors in the human world do not function in the same manner as ours do, ultimately they will still reveal your true self. You may look in those mirrors and see the glamour you choose to show to the world, but all you will see, deep down, is the faerie features you were born with. You won’t be able to hide those forever.”_

_Mogar turned to her just then, staring at her cold eyes. “Since I’m no longer wanted here, what other choice do I have than to hide?” The Queen’s upper lip curled as she smirked at him._

_“Though I hate to see a fae child - I’m sorry,_ half _fae child - pass on, you could always choose death as your path,” she responded finally. “You would become a tree, or a patch of flowers, just as any other faerie; although I’m not quite sure if the human blood in you would change that in any way…”_

_“If I die, you win,” Mogar snapped. “And I’ll be damned before I let you beat me, Queen.”_

_“Why Mogar, dear,” she said in mock surprise. A cruel smile formed on her lips, her pointy teeth flashing threateningly at him. “I’ve already won.”_

“I don’t like Gav-” he said to himself softly before feeling that painful burning sensation in his throat, his vocal chords feeling as though they were set on fire. He coughed, desperately wanting the sensation to fade. He sipped some water from the faucet but that did nothing to stop the burning, which seemed like it would never cease. _Fuck._

A knock on the door diverted his attention for a brief moment. “Michael? Are you okay?” Gavin’s concerned voice sounded through the door.

“I’m f-fine!” Michael replied, his voice hoarse.

“What’s wrong with your voice?”

“Just go wait with Geoff, I’ll be out in a minute!” There was silence and then he heard Gavin’s footsteps fading, calling to Geoff that Michael wouldn’t be much longer. Michael gasped for breath, finally feeling the intense sensation fading away. He had never felt that intense of a burning for any of the other times he was forced to tell the truth.

He stared at himself in the mirror, glamour still down, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes, before saying, “I like Gavin Free.” No burning sensation. In fact, he felt more at peace than he had since meeting his friends. A bang on the door startled him out of his stupor, causing him to throw his glamour back on hurriedly. He opened the door to Geoff, who grabbed him by his arms and dragged him out of the bathroom.

“You’re killing precious time, time that I could already be seated with a beer in one hand and a giant steak in front of me, just so you can stare at yourself in the mirror?” he growled, annoyed. He rolled his eyes as all three left the house and settled into his vehicle. “Newsflash, asshole, you’re not that pretty.”

“I don’t think that,” Gavin muttered, mostly to himself, though Michael’s faerie ears were able to catch what he said and he felt his heart flutter nervously.

“What was that, Gav?” asked Geoff, lowering the volume on the radio to a gentle background noise.

“Oh, nothing.”

* * *

 

Dinner went about as expected. Geoff devoured a massive steak, Gavin squawked when Geoff accidentally knocked over his beer onto one of his rolls, making it all soggy, causing Gavin to gag and take off to the bathroom, and Michael just sat in his seat and snickered, picking at his pasta dish. Every so often he would look up and lock eyes with Gavin, noticing the small smiles he would send his way and he would blush and look down at his food quickly.

At one point, he felt something touch his foot and when he looked up, Gavin wiggled his eyebrows at him. Michael stared at him and rolled his eyes, muttering, “Really Gav? You’re fucking playing footsie with me?” Gavin must have heard him because he tittered to himself, giggling slightly as he finished his food. Geoff just looked back and forth between the two with a sly look in his eyes, but not saying a word.

The guys returned home and after Michael finished unpacking his things the three men gathered in the living room and watched whatever movies they could find on Netflix until Geoff finally got up and yawned. “Well, I’m off to bed. You fucks don’t stay up too late.”

“Okay dad,” Michael joked, earning a snicker from Geoff and a smack to the back of the head. He disappeared down the hall and the remaining two heard his door slam. Michael stretched lazily, fighting back a yawn himself while Gavin browsed through Netflix. It was nearing one in the morning.

“Want to watch something else?” asked Gavin quietly. Michael shrugged and laid back on his end of the couch, propping his feet in Gavin’s lap and wrapping the blanket more securely around himself. Gavin settled on some documentary about Greek mythology and lowered the volume so that it was mainly background noise.

Michael felt Gavin’s cold hands start to rub small circles on the bottom of his feet and he felt himself almost sink into the couch because of how warm, comfortable, and just _safe_ he felt there. “I know you said before you didn’t want to talk about your family, but would you like to hear about mine?” Gavin asked quietly. Michael looked at him and nodded, sending him a reassuring smile.

“I was born, as you can tell, in the United Kingdom, in England,” he began, still massaging Michael’s feet. “My parents were happy, I had a younger brother who I loved and adored, and life was pretty great.” He paused. “My story isn’t tragic like Geoff’s, honestly. We had connected a few months before Griffon got taken, and when I heard what had happened, I had to come over and try and help him. He was my closest friend, despite being a thousand miles away from me at the time. I still visit my parents around Christmas, of course, but Geoff needs me more than they do.”

“What’s your brother like?” Michael asked quietly.

“Oh, he’s a right idiot,” Gavin laughed fondly. “He’s just a couple of inches shorter than I am, same messy hair and scrawny build. He looks up to me, though, seeing as I’m the older brother. He’s had my back in quite a few messy situations back home and he would always help me nurse my hangovers whenever I’ve drank too much, though he would scold me for it first.” He sighed. “I miss him a lot, but we still talk. Xbox, Skype, Facebook. He’s engaged to a girl he’s had a crush on forever. They make quite the cute couple.”

“My mom didn’t want me, and I never knew my father,” Michael muttered bitterly, overwhelmed with a sense of anger and sadness. “I was kicked out of my house and my mom did nothing about it.”

“Wait, someone besides your mom kicked you out? Like who? A grandmother or something?”

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Did something happen that she didn’t like, or?”

“I wasn’t conforming to her rules and standards like she wanted, so she pretty much told me to pack my shit and get out.” The room went silent, the only noise being the deep, heavily accented voice of the narrator commenting about how Zeus was married to the goddess Hera and he had many children.

“For what it’s worth, Geoff and I can be your family now,” Gavin finally said softly, looking at Michael with the most caring expression he’s ever seen. Michael sat up and threw off the blanket, scooting over and pulling Gavin into a hug, which he was quick to return. He wrapped his arms around Michael and held him tightly.

When they finally pulled apart, Michael leaned forward and planted his lips on Gavin’s for a quick peck before quickly pulling back, eyes wide. “I-I- I don’t know why I did that, I’m sorry, Gav-” His bumbling apologies were quickly cut short as Gavin leaned forward and captured Michael’s lips again with his own, placing his hands on either side of his face. Michael melted into Gavin’s embrace and ran his hands through his hair, trying to pull him as close as he possibly could. Gavin was everywhere, and Michael absolutely did not mind.

Gavin was the first to break away, breathing heavily through swollen lips and flushed cheeks, a wide grin on his face as he looked at Michael who probably looked about the same. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now, so I’m glad you’re the one who made the first move,” he breathed.

“I just… stopped kidding myself, I guess,” Michael said shyly, smiling at the man and running a hand through his wild, curly locks. “Couldn’t really deny how I felt much longer since, you know, we both live in the same place now. I’ll see you in the mornings for breakfast, throughout the day, and you’ll probably be the last person I talk to before I go to bed at night.”

“You’re special, you know that?” Gavin whispered. “I know you probably don’t believe that, but you are. Screw your mum, screw the people who didn’t want you. _I want you,_ Michael. I will never let you down, I promise you that.” Michael’s heart fluttered and his spirits soared as he pulled Gavin close again and wrapped himself around him, laying his head into the crook of his neck. Gavin planted a kiss on top of his head and hummed happily to himself.

“Thank you, Gav,” Michael responded after a long silence. Gavin took one of Michael’s hands in his own and squeezed in lieu of a verbal response. The two boys eventually fell asleep on either end of the couch, their hands outstretched, fingers intertwined, as they did so. Michael was the happiest he had been in a very long time.

He wasn’t sure what woke him up, or what made him lurch from a seemingly deep sleep. It may have been the fact that Gavin’s reassuring warmth was no longer there, and his hand was no longer holding his, but the fact of the matter was Gavin was missing and Michael heard a very distinct humming that filled the house. He recognized that hum.

_Lindsay._

“Gavin?” Michael shouted, not even caring if Geoff woke up in the process. “Gavin, where are you?” The blanket Gavin had been covered with was on the floor, his shoes were still laying by the door, and his phone lay on the coffee table, untouched. The front door was wide open, cool, early morning air filtering into the home. “ _Shit._ ”

“Michael, why are you shout-” Geoff said angrily, rubbing his eyes, before he stopped dead in his tracks, blood draining from his face. “Oh no. _Gavin!_ ” He ran back to his room, presumably to grab his gun, but Michael was already out the door and running, following the direction of the humming noises. They led him to Mason Park, where Michael saw two figures far ahead, heading in the direction of the faerie circle.

“Gavin, don’t listen to her!” Michael yelled frantically, running as fast as he could to catch up with them. The two reached the circle and Lindsay turned, her features full on faerie, complete with the piercing green eyes. She gave him a sympathetic, yet cold look.

“I told you, Mogar, that if the Queen assigned me to retrieve him that I would have no choice,” she said softly, with an edge to her words. “No one defies the Queen.”

“Except me, you bitch,” Michael spat, tugging on Gavin’s arm. “Gavin, come on, snap out of it.” His eyes were glassy and he had this stupid smile on his face that accompanied a look of adoration that he was giving her, as though she were the only thing in his world that mattered.

“He can’t hear you. No human is strong enough to break the Trance,” she reminded Michael, smiling smugly. She turned her attention to Gavin. “Come, now. Your Queen awaits you.” She began moving forward, activating the circle and opening a portal to the realm. Michael held Gavin back, not allowing him to take another step forward.

He grabbed Gavin’s face and made him look him in the eyes. “Gavin, it’s me. Michael. Remember? Remember our talk last night? How you said you would never leave me alone, like my mother did? You can’t break that promise now, Gav. I won’t let you.” He planted his lips on Gavin’s, feeling a shudder run throughout his body and then lanky arms encircling his waist as the kiss was returned. When Michael pulled away, he knew he had Gavin back.

“Michael?” he whispered, looking around at the dark, wooded area around him and noticing Lindsay for the first time, gasping. “Where am I? What’s going on? What happened?”

“You were almost lured, but I stopped it,” Michael reassured him, smiling at him and planting a kiss on his forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Gav.”

“I lo-” Gavin began before he was suddenly pulled away by Lindsay and being thrown into the portal. Michael gasped loudly, filling up with rage.

“ _No! Gavin!!_ ”

Lindsay smirked at him, “I win,” before disappearing inside as well. Michael knew he only had a fifteen second window to follow them, so even though he heard Geoff finally catch up with him, yelling at him to get away before he was sucked into it too, he didn’t hesitate to jump inside as well, feeling his feet land on soft ground, followed by the rest of his body.

“Ow,” he grunted, standing up and taking in his surroundings.

A second shadow encompassed his own and he turned, coming face to face with the Queen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday! <3
> 
> I do apologize at the extreme hiatus in updating this fic. Writer's block was a bitch, then a LOT of school, and work, and I moved out, and I just didn't have inspiration, etc. 
> 
> Hopefully this marks the end of my hiatus. I've missed you guys. <3
> 
> -Dee

“Welcome, Mogar,” the Queen drawled with a smile on her face. Michael startled at being addressed by his faerie name for the first time in a while. He glanced around anxiously and saw that Lindsay stood guard over Gavin, who was  unconscious on the ground. “Well, Lillie, I ask you to go and bring back one and you bring back one…” She glanced at Michael with a sneer. “...and a half.”

“I’m sorry, my Queen. I have failed you,” Lindsay said, lowering her piercing eyes to the soft ground. Michael resisted the urge to jump the red headed bitch and choke the life out of her. _Gavin, please wake up, please…_

“Nonsense, my child. You did what I asked, and more.” She pointed at Michael. “Get up.”

“Go to hell,” he spat. The Queen nodded to a figure behind Michael and suddenly he felt a sharp, swift kick to his sides. He started coughing violently and groaned, curled in the fetal position on the ground.

“I said, _get up,_ ” the Queen raised her voice. Michael, shooting daggers into her eyes with his own, shakily stood on his feet and faced her, his fists curled at his side. She circled him, scrutinizing every small detail about him before finally stopping directly in front. “You should have just let him go, Mogar. You know as well as anyone that if a faerie wants someone, no one can stop them.”

“I wasn’t going to just let you take him,” Michael sneered. “And my name is _Michael,_ not Mogar. You lost your right to call me that when you kicked me out. Gavin is my friend, I would do anything to save him from you monsters.”

The Queen exchanged a glance with Lindsay and the two started laughing as though Michael told the funniest joke they had ever heard. He snarled his nose and shouted, “ _Why the fuck are you two laughing?_

“Sure, _Mogar,_ you and the human are just ‘friends,’” she said in between laughter. “I saw what the two of you were up to last night. You looked rather… cozy.”

“You were spying on us?” he shouted, angry.

“Well of course. I always send someone to watch over my prospect to keep them out of harm until I’m ready for them. Although he didn’t exactly look like he was in any sort of danger, did he Lillie?”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Lindsay said cruelly. “You two were so cute, I thought I might vomit. ‘ _I want you, Michael. I will never let you down, I promise you that._ ’ Ugh.”

“At least someone _wants_ me,” Michael told Lindsay, his voice an eerie calm. “And without faerie assistance, too. You’ll never know how that feels. You’ll _never_ be truly wanted, and you know, I actually feel sorry for you.” Her eyes hardened considerably and she quietly growled at Michael, her sharp teeth showing.

A deep groan filled the space and everyone turned their heads towards Gavin, who was stirring slightly on the ground next to Lindsay’s feet. Michael started to run towards him but was stopped by a metal spear diagonally across his chest. Gavin looked around and shakily got to his feet, immediately grabbed by Lindsay and held. “M… Mi-coo what’s going on? Where am I? Why do you look funny?” He craned his neck to look at Lindsay and squawked, “bloody hell! You’re a… you’re a…”

“A faerie?” the Queen supplied, gliding towards Gavin. He tried to shrink away from her but there was nowhere to go. He was trapped. “Yes, I’m a faerie, Lillie is a faerie, and… your precious _Michael_ is _half_ faerie.” She glanced back at Michael who was still prevented from moving by the spear across his body and gave a little smirk in his direction. The Queen came right up to Gavin and looked him over, caressing his face with the palm of her hand.

“N-no, it can’t be. Michael isn’t…” Gavin stammered, looking from the Queen’s intense eyes to Michael’s. “I would know if my… if he… that’s not true. You’re lying.”

“Am I?” she laughed. “How much do you know about faeries, _Gavin_?”

“Enough,” he spat, fear still evident in his eyes.

She clucked her tongue. “Clearly not that much, or you would know one of the most basic facts about our race. We can’t lie. We literally are prevented from lying; it burns us if we try.” She pointed a clawed hand in Michael’s direction. “And I am not lying to you when I say that your precious Michael is half-faerie. Look at him, Gavin. Really take a good, long look.”

Gavin looked at Michael once more, although this time his eyebrows seemed to shoot into his hairline. His mouth popped open slightly as he stared, and Michael’s heart began to race quickly in his chest. It felt as though someone just doused him in ice cold water from head to toe. He looked down at his hands, noticing a subtle sharpening of his nails; his teeth were pointier as well. _Fuck, I forgot. All glamour is washed away in the realm with time._

“Gavin, listen. I-”

“When were you going to tell me?” the tone of Gavin’s voice was soft, filled with hurt and disappointment. Michael would rather have heard him yell than speak to him like he was doing now. This tone cut Michael deeply, and he knew right away how hurt Gavin was. How _he_ had hurt him.

“I didn’t exactly know what to say, Gavin,” he responded, his voice quiet and filled with shame. “How exactly do you tell someone that you have feelings for that you’re half of a creature that they hunt down and kill on a daily basis?” Silence.

“But you’re not like these… these _monsters._ You’re different. You have feelings and you’re capable of love. You… you don’t even look like them, not really. You don’t have the green skin or the super sharp eyes. Even your teeth don’t have that point to them that all faeries have,” Gavin stammered. Michael knew that he really wanted to believe that the Queen was lying, but he couldn’t hide it from Gavin anymore. He was tired of lying, of hiding who he really was. Gavin deserved the truth and like hell was he going to let it all come from the Bitch Queen.

“The human part of me is what cancels out a good majority of the faerie genes, Gav. It dulls them, so to speak. But I still use glamour to hide because if I didn’t, you would see the faerie features I do have, even though they’re not as pronounced or as obvious. I’m capable of lying, but I still have the consequence every so often on certain, major lies. And Gav, it _killed_ me to have to lie to you, and to Ryan and Geoff. But how was I going to bring it up in conversation? ‘I’m Michael, nice to meet you, oh and I’m also half-faerie’?” Michael was rambling at this point but he needed Gavin to understand, to stop looking at him with betrayal like he was doing now.

“Do you actually care about me, Michael? If that’s even your real name. Or was getting close to me just another part of your intricate plan to hide in plain sight?” Gavin’s voice raised slightly now and Michael could hear the pain. He winced and felt his whole body begin to go limp with defeat.

“I didn’t want to get you involved, Gavin. Don’t you understand? _This_ is exactly what I was so desperate to avoid, but _she_ wouldn’t just let me live my life in peace. She was determined to take down any chance at happiness away from this realm that I had. If I had told you from the beginning that I was a half-faerie who had been kicked out by my Queen, you and Geoff would have just used me to get to my realm, to kill everyone here, and then you would have killed me. I did what I had to do to not only survive, but to try my damndest to keep you and Geoff off of her radar. Clearly that didn’t work.” Michael felt a few stray tears roll down his cheeks, though he kept staring at Gavin, wanting him to understand why he did what he did.

“You paint me in such a poor light, Michael, I’m insulted,” a voice came from behind them. Michael turned around and saw Geoff emerge from the shadows, his shotgun in his hands. The guards near Michael turned and pointed their weapons towards Geoff, while he cocked the gun and aimed it at them. “One move and I blast everyone with steel bullets. Oh, and I won’t miss either. I’m a pretty good shot.”

“Geoff!” Gavin’s relieved voice pierced through the tense air.

“Michael, I knew about you being part faerie about two weeks after we first met in Ryan’s shop,” he said from behind the gun. He looked at Michael and gave him a reassuring smile.

“How?” He tried to think back and remember if he had accidentally let something slip but couldn’t think of anything.

“I came to him,” a tinkling voice answered. Michael turned and his mother walked forward a little, stopping a short ways away from him. “I was on assignment and I happened to walk past where you were employed by that man - Ryan - and I noticed how… how _happy_ you were there. You got along so well with these three men and I could not remember a time where I ever saw that much joy on your face, Mogar- er, Michael.”

“I was taking one of my late night walks because, as usual, I couldn’t sleep. She approached me near the park and dropped her glamour, though stating she was there for peaceful purposes relating to you,” Geoff continued. “She told me everything that had happened, but asked that I not bring it up with you until you were ready to tell me it yourself. The last thing she wanted to do was to make you unhappy again.”

“I know… I’m not your favorite person, Michael. I didn’t stand up for you or defend you when you were kicked out. I did not act like a mother should have. But I never stopped worrying or caring about you. Every opportunity I had, I would check on you and make sure you were okay,” his mom said, a small smile contrasting her sharp features.

“How _dare_ you,” the Queen spat. “You’ve betrayed me, Gwendolina. You were under specific orders to refrain from interfering at all with this… abomination, yet you did so anyway. Guards!” She waved a hand. “Take Gwendolina away for her traitorous actions. I will deal with her shortly.”

“Mom, no!” Michael yelled.

“NO ONE IS GOING ANYWHERE,” Geoff shouted, shooting a bullet just to the left of the Queen’s head. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to release him-” he pointed to Michael. “-and him.” He pointed to Gavin. “Then, you’re going to tell me where the _fuck_ my wife is and you’re going to let all of us leave peacefully or I’ll start murdering every faerie in this room.” The fire in Geoff’s eyes was particularly scary, and a fearful atmosphere settled into the air. Even the Queen looked scared, which Michael had never seen before in his life.

“Geoff?” a quiet voice sounded from the corner, behind a small group of faeries. A small figure cut through the group, dressed in green garments, her blonde hair short and framing her face. She could have been mistaken for a young girl, but she had the features of a woman. Geoff’s face shifted from rage to disbelief to overwhelming happiness in the span of five seconds.

“G-Griffon?” he squeaked. “Is that you baby?”

She nodded, a worried but happy expression filling her features. Geoff still had the gun raised, pointed at the Queen.

“Are you okay, Griffon? Have these sick bastards done anything to you?” he asked, looking as though he had fallen in love with her all over again. She shook her head.

“No, I am unharmed. But…” She looked at the ground.

“But what, baby? What’s wrong?” Michael saw the gun falter slightly and tensed, waiting for the Queen to notice.

“As… _sickening_ as this little reunion is,” drawled the Queen, floating to where Griffon stood, “I think what the poor dear is trying to tell you is… she can’t leave.” Griffon didn’t shift her gaze from the ground but flinched when the Queen made the announcement. _Of course,_ Michael thought. _She was here for so long it was obvious she drank or ate something as soon as she arrived, and that was over a year ago. There’s no way she could leave. Unless..._

Geoff’s expression changed from happiness to disbelief in an instant. “What? No, that can’t be true. Unless… you…” He pulled the gun up again and pointed it directly at the Queen’s face, centered just in between her eyes. “You fed her some of that faerie bullshit didn’t you?”

The corner of her lips pulled up in a smirk. “Geoff, dear, as soon as poor Griffon came into the realm she was absolutely… _starving._ I had to appease her hunger somehow didn’t I?” She nodded her head slightly and guards began swarming all over, taking hold of Gavin, Michael, and Griffon. They were lined up, like prisoners awaiting an execution. A worker faerie dressed in warm, brown garments walked to the Queen’s side, holding a platter of faerie food and drink. _Oh no._

“Let them go!” Geoff shouted, gun still aimed. She “tsk”’d at him before grabbing a plate off of the tray.

“Since we’re having this big family reunion today, I’m feeling a little bit… _nice._ I’m going to give you the option, Geoff. You get to pick two of these three _wonderful_ individuals in front of you to take back to the human world with you. You have my word and the word of every faerie that presides under me that we will never target you ever again. But you must leave _one_ with me.” She held up the food on the plate and observed it.

“That’s crazy. You will never make me choose,” Geoff spat. “What’s stopping me from blowing your brains out right here and now?” She laughed as though what he said was hilarious. The tinkling laughter cut the tension like glass.

“Dear Geoffrey, I’m the only one with the capabilities of releasing your precious wife from the spell of the food and drink. If you kill me before I release her from her bonds, she stays a captive for the rest of her days. You didn’t think there wouldn’t be a loophole, now did you?” She gave him a pitying look, but Michael saw the triumph and the smugness behind her eyes. Michael grit his teeth, mind racing to try and think of a loophole for the loophole, but he was coming up blank. He eyed Lindsay out of the corner of his eye and he saw… disbelief on her face. _What?_

Geoff snarled but lowered his gun, defeated. Michael felt helpless, unable to do anything to help his friend - no, his _best_ friend. “Geoff, I’ll stay,” he finally said, staring him in the eyes. Geoff’s eyebrows shot into his hairline and he heard Gavin make a squawk beside him.

“Micoo, no, you can’t. I’ll never see you again!” Gavin protested, struggling against Lindsay’s grasp.

“Michael, no, I won’t allow it,” Geoff said quietly. “I’m not going to choose; we’ll all leave this place-”

“No we won’t,” Michael shouted. “For God’s sake Geoff, open your eyes! You’re outnumbered and absolutely powerless here. Force won’t get you anywhere except dead, or worse - trapped here forever. I’m not going to allow that, not for my best friend, and certainly not for-” He glanced at Gavin and swallowed, feeling his cheeks flush at the soft look he was giving him. He returned his gaze to Geoff. “You’ve been missing Griffon so much longer than we’ve been friends. She’s your _wife._ You should be able to spend the rest of your life with her, Geoff. And Gavin… Gavin’s like the son you always wanted. He’s your family.”

“You’re my family too, Michael,” Geoff argued. The gun lay forgotten by his side. “Since we met you, I’ve always looked after you like one of my own. I can’t imagine not being able to see you again. You’ve made me happy, Ryan happy, and even that asshole over there happy. Hell, I think you’ve made him the happiest one of us all.”

“You’ll learn to move on without me. Soon I’ll just be a distant memory, a friend that you barely even remember. That’s what I’m meant to be, Geoff. Just an afterthought. I’m not even supposed to exist,” Michael finished quietly, looking at the earthy ground.

“Michael, you were meant to exist for a reason,” Gavin strained, trying desperately to break free to reach him. “Do you think you’d still be here if you weren’t? You were meant to exist to bring happiness in my life, boi. You exist to be my other half, to complete me. I don’t care that you’re half faerie. I don’t care that you have faerie traits once in a while, or that you’re incapable of lying about some things. _I don’t care._ Because…”

“Yeah, Gav?”

“I love you. There, I said it. _I. Love. You._ And I don’t want to exist without you by my side.”

“Yes, this is all very interesting, but I’m getting bored,” drawled the Queen. “I demand you choose right now or I will keep all of you here and kill the half breed.”

Geoff looked at Griffon and Michael felt his eyes begin to well up. The look of pure love and adoration that the two shared at that moment stirred something inside of him. He wanted to look at someone that way, and he wanted someone to look at him that way, and Gavin was that someone.

“I love you too, Gavin,” he uttered, his voice cracking. “And I always will.”

Geoff emitted a sigh and stared at the two boys, eyes calculating. “I guess that settles it then, right?” He placed the gun on the ground and walked towards Griffon, turning to face the Queen once he finally reached her. “I choose to stay; let those two go.”

“GEOFF, NO-”

“GEOFF, YOU CAN’T-”

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” he barked. He grasped Griffon’s hands and held them tightly in his own. “I’ve waited a year and a half to be reunited with my wife. My true love. My _soulmate._ When we got married, in our vows we said we would be there for each other for better or for worse, and I fucking meant it.”

“Oh Geoff,” Griffon choked out. She sniffled.

“I love you Griffon. I’m not losing you again,” Geoff said, his mind clearly made up. He turned to the Queen. “I’m staying, they get to leave.”

She curled her lip, clearly displeased with being somewhat outsmarted. “Very well.” She handed what looked like a small piece of cake to Geoff. “Eat this.” He took the food from her, and looked at Michael and Gavin.

“Tell Ryan what happened, and tell that bastard that I’m going to miss him. Don’t come looking for me. Just live your lives. I’m going to be fine, and you both will be, too. I love both of you and I’m so glad I was able to meet you two.”

“We…” Gavin choked. “We love you too, Geoff.” Geoff smiled briefly before shoving the food into his mouth and chewing. His eyes suddenly glazed over and his body shuddered, his arms and legs seeming to lock into invisible shackles.

“Tastes… good,” he finally concluded, locking his arm through Griffon’s. The two shared a moment, and Michael had to look away. He felt like he was intruding.

The Queen ordered the two to be taken from the room, leaving only herself, Lindsay, Michael, Gavin, and Michael’s mother. “A promise is a promise, I suppose,” the Queen finally spoke. “You two may leave, and we will never bother you again. I will see to it.”

Gavin embraced Michael, holding him closely. He could feel all of Gavin’s tension and worry melt away in the hug, although there was still some lingering sadness. Michael, though happy that he would get to spend the rest of his days without faerie interference, couldn’t help but feel this “victory” was nothing more than bittersweet.

He pulled away from Gavin and turned to his mother, who was standing near him, and pulled her into his arms. “But what about you?” he asked softly. “Who’s going to take care of you?”

She rubbed his back and held him tightly. “I’ll be okay, Michael. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself - and each other. Don’t let your friend’s sacrifice be for nothing.”

“Will… will I ever see you again?” he asked, feeling childish. He felt her smile with her face against his shoulder.

“No,” she answered truthfully. “But as long as you keep me in your thoughts I will always be around, Michael. I’m sorry I was never a good mother to you, and that’s something I’ll regret until the day I die.”

“You were the best mom,” he lied, the lie rolling smoothly off of his tongue. The Faerie realm seemed to know he needed to say that, granting him the pass on the lie. “I love you, mom.”

“And I love you, Mogar.”

“I hate to interrupt but your window of opportunity is closing. So unless you want to be stuck here for all eternity, I suggest you say your goodbyes a little more quickly,” the Queen shouted.

Michael pulled away from his mom and gave her a swift kiss on the forehead, to which she smiled sadly at him. He had nothing to stay to Lindsay, so when she raised her arm and opened her mouth to utter what Michael believed to be the beginning of an apology he turned his back and linked his fingers with Gavin’s, tugging him towards the portal that the Queen had opened while he was saying his goodbye.

“Let’s go home, Gav.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There WILL be an epilogue, so please watch for that. I'm not THAT cruel, you know. <3


End file.
